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Question
I was reading an article about Joseph's wife, Asenath bat Potiphera, and I've come across different explanations regarding the identity of Potiphera. Is he the very same Potiphar who was Joseph's master, or is he a different Potiphera, the priest of On?
What is your take on this, and what are the main arguments?
Answer
It's a good and famous question, and both opinions are found in our commentaries. Firstly, if it's important for the Torah to mention his name, apparently we may know something else about him, e.g. maybe he is Potiphar and there are several explanations why his name is changed. Others say that literally they are 2 different names so why should we say they are the same person. We find a similar difference of opinion regarding Abraham's servant who brings a wife for Yitzchak, some say it's Eliezer (the servant whom we know from other places), while others say no, that if so, it would call him Eliezer by name as previously, and not just "the servant of Abraham". In learning Torah, one must get used to a multi-faceted text with several possible legitimate explanations, and in each case try and look for the message each option wants to teach us.
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